Major League Baseball

All-Star picks: What to do with Big Papi, Jeter and more

Published Jul. 3, 2014 1:00 p.m. ET

Ken Rosenthal

Warning! My All-Star teams are a mish-mosh of conflicting agendas, just like the actual selections will be.

I like fresh faces as well as big names. I like players with game-changing skills. And – forgive me, Internet police, for I am about to sin – I also like players with compelling narratives.

Let others play paint-by-numbers and choose their All-Stars by Wins Above Replacement. I’m influenced by WAR, too. I’m just not a slave to it here, even though the outcome determines home-field advantage for the World Series.

It’s still an All-Star Game, OK? It’s not a presidential election or something truly important, like a Most Valuable Player award.

As always, to make the selection process as realistic as possible, I am picking 34 All-Stars for each team and, yes, following the rule that each club must be represented.

The era of diminished offense makes the pitching choices even more difficult; there will be notable omissions even in my notable omissions. Seems everyone who can pick up a ball has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 10-to-1, while every hitter is batting about .205.

In any case, don’t worry about your favorite player getting snubbed. Between injuries and ineligible pitchers, about 200 players eventually will be named All-Stars. The game has become sort of like Little League, where everyone gets a trophy.

The teams will be announced Sunday. The game will air on FOX a week from Tuesday at Target Field. Direct all complaints to the usual place on Twitter: @Ken_Rosenthal. If you prefer Facebook, you can find me at kenrosenthalsports.

Here we go. Starters denoted with asterisks.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Pitchers (13)

*Felix Hernandez, Mariners

Seattle's Felix Hernandez should get the start for the American League.

Dellin Betances, Yankees

Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays

Yu Darvish, Rangers

Sean Doolittle, Athletics

Greg Holland, Royals

Scott Kazmir, Athletics

Corey Kluber, Indians

Jon Lester, Red Sox

Jake McGee, Rays

David Price, Rays

Garrett Richards, Angels

Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees

Notable omissions: Wade Davis, Royals; Sonny Gray, Athletics; Dallas Keuchel, Astros; Glen Perkins, Twins; David Robertson, Yankees; Chris Sale, White Sox; Rick Porcello, Tigers; Anibal Sanchez, Tigers; Max Scherzer, Tigers; Koji Uehara, Red Sox.

All of the above have legitimate cases; Robertson leads AL relievers with 15.61 strikeouts per nine innings, and Davis is fourth with 14.24, but I couldn’t fit either in my bullpen.

Tanaka will be selected but likely won’t be eligible because he is scheduled to pitch the Sunday before the game. I would replace him with Sale, who missed a month with a flexor muscle strain, but is walking filth.

Infielders/DH (12)

*Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays

Jose Abreu, White Sox

Miguel Cabrera, Tigers

*Nelson Cruz, Orioles

Victor Martinez, Tigers

*Jose Altuve, Astros

Robinson Cano, Mariners

Brian Dozier, Twins

*Derek Jeter, Yankees

Erick Aybar, Angels

*Adrian Beltre, Rangers

Kyle Seager, Mariners

Notable omissions: Josh Donaldson, Athletics; Alcides Escobar, Royals; Ian Kinsler, Tigers; Brandon Moss, Athletics; David Ortiz, Red Sox; Alexei Ramirez, White Sox.

Altuve leads the majors with 118 hits and the American League with 37 stolen bases – and at 5-foot-5, he’s only a half-inch taller than me. Not that I’m biased, but I’ve already named him my All-Star MVP.

Second base actually is quite crowded. Dozier’s offensive numbers aren’t as good as Kinsler’s, but I’m throwing Twins fans a bone. The good people of Minnesota can also thank me for excluding Big Papi, who got released by the Twins in 2002 and has tortured them ever since.

It’s no great snub; Ortiz isn’t as deserving as Martinez and Cruz. I also had an ulterior motive for excluding Papi – I want to see him go all Kanye if he doesn’t make the team.

Finally, a message to the anti-Jeter crowd: Who would you prefer, Ramirez? Escobar? Pedro Florimon? Stephen Drew?

The celebration of great careers is part of what the ASG is about.

Outfielders (6)

It's tough to go wrong with the Angels' Mike Trout in the American League outfield.

*Jose Bautista, Blue Jays

*Mike Trout, Angels

*Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics

Michael Brantley, Indians

Coco Crisp, Athletics

Alex Gordon, Royals

Notable omissions: Melky Cabrera, Blue Jays; Adam Jones, Orioles; George Springer, Astros.

Man, I’d love to get Springer on there, or at least see him in the Home Run Derby; he has hit 16 homers, or two more than Miguel Cabrera in 58 fewer at-bats. He also is eighth in the AL in OPS as an outfielder.

Jones is worthy, but I prefer Crisp, a switch hitter who can steal a base – and one of the most valuable A’s.

Catchers (3)

*Derek Norris, Athletics

Salvador Perez, Royals

Kurt Suzuki, Twins

Notable omissions: Chris Iannetta, Angels; Matt Wieters, Orioles.

Wieters, who leads in the fan balloting, has appeared in only 26 games. Norris doesn’t play every day, but he’s the AL leader in OPS as a catcher by a wide margin. Iannetta, another part-timer, is second in OPS, but I’ll take Suzuki, who is having a breakthrough season at 30 and would give the game a second Twin.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Pitchers (14)

St. Louis' Adam Wainwright is the top option for NL starting pitcher.

*Adam Wainwright, Cardinals

Johnny Cueto, Reds

Henderson Alvarez, Marlins

Madison Bumgarner, Giants

Aroldis Chapman, Reds

Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Craig Kimbrel, Braves

Jonathon Niese, Mets

Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers

Alfredo Simon, Reds

Julio Teheran, Braves

Rafael Soriano, Nationals

Huston Street, Padres

Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals

Notable omissions: Josh Beckett, Dodgers; Jonathan Broxton, Reds; Steve Cishek, Marlins; Zack Greinke, Dodgers; Jason Hammel, Cubs; Tim Hudson, Giants; Ian Kennedy, Padres; Jean Machi, Giants; Pat Neshek, Cardinals; Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies; Jeff Samardzija, Cubs; Stephen Strasburg, Nationals; Tony Watson, Pirates.

I’m going with a 14-man staff, and it still isn’t enough. Consider the rotation I could form just from the omissions; Grienke, Hammel, Hudson, Samardzija and Strasburg. I also wish I could find spots for some of the other relievers, but the statistics for my selections are just ridiculous.

Simon makes five Reds, which is perhaps excessive for a team that is just two games over .500. Still, the guy is ninth in the NL in ERA after opening the season in the rotation only due to injuries. Like Alvarez – and unlike some of the bigger names – he also was terrific in June.

Wainwright over Cueto to start was extremely close. Hudson would be the first pitcher I added in case of injury.

Infielders (9)

*Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks

Freddie Freeman, Braves

Anthony Rizzo, Cubs

*Chase Utley, Phillies

Dee Gordon, Dodgers

Starlin Castro, Cubs

*Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies

*Todd Frazier, Reds

Casey McGehee, Marlins

Notable omissions: Brandon Crawford, Giants; Scooter Gennett, Brewers; Josh Harrison, Pirates; Adam LaRoche, Nationals; Justin Morneau, Rockies; Daniel Murphy, Mets; Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals; Aramis Ramirez, Brewers; Anthony Rendon, Nationals; Joey Votto, Reds.

First base is crazy; five of the top 12 in OPS in the NL play the position, and LaRoche and Morneau are quite deserving.

Gordon, because of his base-stealing ability, is more of a weapon for this game than Gennett or Murphy (and to add to the fun, I chose Billy Hamilton for my outfield, too.)

I love Rendon at third, but McGehee is tied for seventh in the league with 49 RBIs despite hitting only one home run, and his on-base percentage is .380.

Outfielders (8)

Milwaukee's Carlos Gomez gets the nod over Yasiel Puig as the NL's third outfield starter.

*Carlos Gomez, Brewers

*Andrew McCutchen, Pirates

*Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

Yasiel Puig, Dodgers

Billy Hamilton, Reds

Jason Heyward, Braves

Hunter Pence, Giants

Seth Smith, Padres

Notable omissions: Michael Morse, Giants; Justin Upton, Braves.

The biggest question is which three should start.

Stanton is second in the league in OPS and McCutchen third, so it came down to Puig vs. Gomez. Both are electric, but I’ll go with Gomez, the better defender.

Heyward, likewise, isn’t as productive a hitter as his teammate Upton, but he is the game’s top-rated defender according to defensive runs saved. I want him in right field in the late innings.

Catchers (3)

*Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers

Yadier Molina, Cardinals

Buster Posey, Giants

Notable omissions: Evan Gattis, Braves; Devin Mesoraco, Reds.

Gattis would have made my team if he had not gone on the DL with a bulging thoracic disc. Mesoraco’s candidacy also was compromised by injuries; his OPS of 1.026 would be second in the league to Tulowitzki if he qualified.